everything's bigger in texas, including this primary day. and through snow, rain, heat, or gloom of night -- but maybe not through a recession. the post office right now announcing cuts and changes. it says it needs to stay afloat in this economy. good morning. it's march 2nd, 2010. i'm savannah guthrie. >> and i'm chuck todd. let's get right to the rundown. we begin this morning in chile. that earthquake was so strong it may have shifted the earth's axis and shortened the day. secretary of state clinton just arrived in chile's capital of santiago this morning, bringing emergency satellite equipment with her. nbc's mark potter is there. how is the cleanup going on this day four of the post-earthquake? >> well, it's going quite slowly and there are a lot of concerns about that. secretary clinton is dealing with that issue as she arrives here to show support for the chill lane government. initially, the chileans were hesitant to ask for international aid, but after seeing the scope of the

disaster, they changed their mind. the secretary is bringing some satellite phones and a technician as requested by the chilean government. the u.s. is promising to do all it can to help the chileans. some search and rescue teams are standing by in the u.s., in case they are needed. now, at this -- this government are, one, the distribution of aid, food, water, and shelter. and also, security, particularly in the town of concepcion with, the largest -- along the coast in the hardest-hit earthquake zone -- after a marketplace, they set fire to that marketplace as residents in that town are complaining about the slow -- police and the military are still struggling -- back to you guys. >> all right, mark potter. obviously, we're having a little bit of difficulty with our satellite, so we're losing you a little bit, but thank you for

that report and keep us posted there. back here in washington, the fight over deficits and the unemployment problem is focusing on one man at the moment. republican senator jim bunning of kentucky is blocking an extension of unemployment benefits because he wants congress to find a way to pay for it first. >> if we can't find $10 billion to pay for it, we're not going to pay for anything. >> it's great to have a political debate here in the senate. we should. that's what the senate's supposed to be about. but when the victims in the middle of the debate are unemployed people, i don't think that's fair. >> and all this drama may be getting to the senator. one reporter was on the business end of an obscene gesture from him yesterday. it wasn't kelly o'donnell, but kelly, things are getting a little tense up there on the hill. >> reporter: they are. i'm not sure jim bunning has had this much attention since he was voted into the baseball hall of fame. he was a former pitcher, clearly has a political fastball that he has been hurling at democrats since thursday night, when he

objected to the majority leader's request to simply pass by unanimous consent this package of benefits that include unemployment and cobra, which is the health insurance program and highway projects. a whole package of things. a short-term package. but bunning said if democrats and republicans, who widely support this, can't figure out a way to pay for this, just $10 billion, then how can they pay for anything? so he claims that he's taking a principled stand. now, democrats point out very quickly that when this rule known as pay-as-you-go was made part of the senate rules, bunning had voted against it then. but now he's concerned about the deficit, taking this position. so what can democrats do? well, first off, they didn't expect it, so they were scrambling a bit. and now they're going to try to retroactively store all of these benefits in a larger package that will include things aimed at jobs like tax cuts for small businesses and so forth and these extension of benefits and they're going to try and do it that way to sort of get around the bunning objection.

but he has certainly got a lot of attention over the last few days. savannah? >> kelly, very quick, we're hearing lots of rumors that bob corker, republican, and chris dodd, democrat in the senate, who have been negotiating on this financial regulatory reform are close to a compromise on a new consumer protection agency at the fed. what can you tell us about it? >> reporter: well, this would be something that would really be a departure from what chris dodd had been talking about, by giving the fed some additional power in the area of consumer protection. we know, like, the food and drug administration watches out for foods and vegetables and drugs. this would be in the consumer realm, where people would get some extra guidance and regulation to protect them when it comes to their money. and dodd had not been supportive of doing that with the fed, and now we get indications that he is willing to do that and bob corker of tennessee has been very instrumental in those negotiations. chuck, savannah? >> all right. nbc's kelly o'donnell on the hill for us this morning, thanks. >> actual bipartisanship? we'll see. you may be seeing a big

change to your mail delivery. right now the postmaster general, jack potter, is holding a press conference in washington, sounding the alarm about the dire financial straits of the u.s. postal service. he has already warned that the post office may need to cut six day a week service down to five, close some post offices, raise rates, and restructure. and how it funds its retiree benefit program. we'll keep our eye on this and let you know what other changes you might see, but i have to say this, savannah, we've heard about five day a week for a while, the question is, do they get rid of saturdays, get rid of wednesdays? but congress has to approve all of this. so congress would have to cut jobs in a recession. >> very difficult. one word. e-mail has really hurt the post office. at the supreme court, a high-stakes shoot-out today over gun rights. the question is, how far does the court's landmark ruling that the second amendment grants individuals the right to bear arms go? nbc justice correspondent pete williams is at the court for us this morning. pete, this has the potential to have wide ramifications, i suppose, for gun control laws on

the state and local level. >> reporter: yes, and maybe even beyond guns. savannah, i think it surprises many people that the bill of rights, including the second amendment, never was intended to apply automatically to the states. and that's the question today. does the second amendment apply to the states? it was just two years ago that the supreme court struck down a strict handgun ban in washington, d.c. and the issue then was, does the second amendment apply in a federal city like washington and the answer was yes. now the question is, does it apply nationwide? a group of gun owners and people who want to own guns in chicago and nearby oak park, illinois, are challenging the strict handgun bans there. but, savannah, depending on how the court rules here, this case could have wider implications beyond just guns. even though that itself is very significant, it could also decide the future of state regulations that are at odds with federal laws or some people would argue the u.s. constitution. back to you. >> wow. pete williams for us on -- at the supreme court today. nobody said this roberts court

was going to just sit back and let things just sort of stay as is. >> a huge constitutional issue, like fundamental things like the second amendment, finally being decided. >> it's an activist court, that's for sure. it's decision day for republicans in the lone star state. the big question tonight in texas, will governor rick perry win his party's nomination with over 50% of the vote to escape an april runoff? nbc deputy political director and texas native, mark murray is with us. lay out the stakes here. this was supposed to be the biggest primary in the country, and it's sort of going out with a fizzle. >> you begin with an incumbent governor who just won re-election in 2006 against a very popular united states senator, kay bailey hutchison. the polls show rick perry, the incumbent governor, might cruise to victory, might even be able to avoid this runoff in april. one of the stories that's gone on is that washington and congress are always unpopular, but in this election cycle, even more so, as we write in first read today with, that being an incumbent in washington, like kay bailey hutchison is, is worse than being an incumbent in austin, texas, down in the state

capital. and whether or not we end up seeing this in other gubernatorial contests across the country, there are at least nine sitting united states senators or members of congress who are running for governor and will this same type of playbook apply, where being a washington insider becomes a liability? >> but there's a third candidate here, so isn't the real issue today whether there will be a runoff? >> right. the third candidate is debora medina. she has this tea party support and you have touched on her in the past. her poll numbers in some cases are in the double digits, but there is some concern, will she be able to hit that particularly regarding some of the controversy she has given, given sympathy to whether or not 9/11 was an inside job, questions about barack obama's citizenship. so it will be a question whether she hits that 10% mark. if she doesn't, perry is probably going to get over 50%. if she does, we might head into that runoff in april. >> groundhog day, six more weeks of campaigning. >> there are some that wonder, if kay bailey hutchison, if she

can't run twin the runoff, does even want to get in. if he gets 49% and she's in the high 20s, does she just say, it's his. >> it's going to be very difficult for her one way or the other. >> mark murray, you'll be watching it for us. >> get it straight from a text from mark murray. on the economy, we're going to learn today just how bad the toyota recall hit the company's bottom line. and it's far from over. there's word today that more than 1.6 million toyota vehicles need fixes for oil hoses that could leak. cnbc's phil lebeau covers the car industry for us and he is a business man these days. so, what's next? >> reporter: what's next? some rough numbers that are going to be coming out for february sales. and when we get these numbers a little later on today, what we're going to see the first full month of toyota since the recalls in late january, how much have sales dipped? the estimates are that sales are going to be down anywhere from 10% to 16%. keep in mind, february is the second slowest month of the year

in terms of sales. it's not really a good barometer in terms of what the industry is doing and whether or not people are actually going out into showrooms. what we will also hear from toyota today are two things. one, a big incentive program, zero percent for 60 months in terms of trying to bring people into the showrooms. a very aggressive incentive program. and toyota executives are once again on capitol hill. there's a senate hearing today looking into these recalls. we're going to have toyota executives there once again explaining what went wrong, when did they know it, and why didn't they notify people sooner. so for toyota, today is another day of bad news around the board. but, frankly, it's news that we've all expected. i'm not sure we're going to hear any bombshells. >> all right. phil lebeau, thank you. >> thank you. covering the car industry, which has been as good of a beat as there is these days in reporting, but tough news. thank you, phil. coming up, it's the word that's drawing a lot of intrigue here in washington -- reconciliation. who knew such a four or

five-syllable word would do that to us? will it work for democrats? we try to clear up the confusion with senator kent conrad, senate of the budget committee. plus, washington palace intrigue kicks into overdrive with yet another story about white house chief of staff rahm emanuel making things perhaps a bit awkward at the white house today. but first, a look ahead at the president's schedule today. and i'm sure, actually, the chief of staff might be glad the president is traveling today. he goes to savannah -- wait a minute -- >> that's the schedule i like. >> savannah, you're here and you're not in savannah to cover the president? so many people have been looking forward to this day. savannah in savannah -- >> it's really a lost opportunity. i've received a lot of lost opportunities. >> there's no chuck in america. >> he'll be there today. >> you're watching "the daily rundow rundown". decisions, decisions. which beneful prepared meal tonight? roasted chicken recipe?

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well, the president is in savannah, georgia, today. had to mention it one more time. talking economy. but tomorrow, yet again, a major speech on health care, this one promising to lay out the path forward for congress. >> how many speeches on health care have there been? and there's basically only one path left. democrats are looking to use reconciliation, that senate procedure requiring e ining onl simple majority to get to the already passed health care bill. kent conrad joins us now. he chairs the budget committee and he's been very vocal about the use of reconciliation and when is it correct and when is it not correct to use. so simply, senator conrad, are you comfortable with this idea

that the fixes will be done via reconciliation in the senate if the house passes the first senate health care bill? >> yeah. i think maybe this will help, chuck and savannah. reconciliation, as i've said all year, would not work for passing comprehensive health care reform. that's because of the byrd rule and other technical matters that i won't go into here. i'm happy to do it if you want to ask questions about it, but i think it would probably bore your listeners. >> oh, they've been bored by that for a long time. >> we put the parliamentarian on yesterday. >> we know about the byrd bath and the byrd rule. >> but we don't need reconciliation to pass comprehensive health care s7 reform, because it's already passed the senate with a super majority 60 votes. it's now waiting action in the house. the if the house passes it, comprehensive health care reform will then go to the president for signature. and ridiculous, the process

which allows just a simple majority to pass legislation instead of a super majority will not have been used for comprehensive health care reform. but that doesn't mean there is no role, no potential role, for reconciliation. because as you know, members in the house and some in the senate would like to make further improvements to the bill. they'd like to improve the affordability, they'd like to improve the medicaid provisions. those could come in a reconciliation package from the house to the senate and be entirely appropriate. that's how reconciliation has been used many times with respect to health care. again, just to review -- >> yeah? >> just to review, reconciliation would not have been used to pass comprehensive health care reform. it's not necessary since the senate has already voted on it and already passed it by a super majority. if it then passes the house, it will go to the president for

signature with reconciliation not have been used. >> but, sir, what do you make of the argument, i think i heard it from senator kyl on one of the sunday shows, that essentially, reconciliation is somehow not legitimate in this scenario because it's being used as an end-run around the requirement for 60 votes. in other words, it's not the case where he, i think, cited welfare reform when there were more than 60 votes, they happened to proceed by reconciliation, but it wasn't because that was their only option, that they did not have the votes. what do you say to that argument? >> well, it's like he forgot about christmas eve. on christmas eve, the senate passed, without using reconciliation, by a super majority, 60 votes, fundamental health care reform. that package, as i said, now goes to the house. if the house passes it, goes to the president for signature, without reconciliation ever having been used. now, again, the house could then pass a package to improve the

health care reform with matters that are only budget related. that was the whole intention of reconciliation, that it only be used for budget-related matters. and that would be absolutely consistent with how reconciliation has been done, by both republicans and democrats. remember, it's been used 22 times and 16 of those times, the republicans controlled the united states senate. >> senator conrad, there's no doubt a lot of senate democrats believe you know more about this budget process than anybody in the senate. so as you see these potential fixes that are going to be put under reconciliation, what is the one or two fixes that you're concerned with that the parliamentarian may have a problem justifying under the byrd rule? >> well, i think changes to a#g)tion would probably not be permitted under reconciliation and the byrd rule requirement. on the other hand, those things that are budget related, for example, improving the

affordability provisions -- >> so that's the only thing. only the abortion provision, you think, wouldn't follow -- of these potential fixes the house may send over, that's the only one you think is going to be hard to justify? >> well, i don't know all of what the house may be contemplating, so i can't comment in terms of all of the things they might do, but anything that doesn't score for budget purposes or anything for which the score is only incidental to the policy change or subject to automatic strike under the byrd rule. >> okay. and on senator bunning, sir, do you think he -- do you approve of what he's doing? he's saying, with look, if congress doesn't have the money to pay for something, this shouldn't come through. also, what do you think of his decorum. i suppose you heard about the flipping of the bird -- >> another bird rule. >> what do you think of that? >> i don't want to go into another senator's decorum. but i'll just say on the merits, look, it would be very unwise to raise taxes or cut spending when the economy is this weak.

17% of the american people are either unemployed or underemployed. that is not a time that you raise taxes or cut spending. that would be bad economics. that's why the tradition has been for extending unemployment. that can be considered as an emergency in the congress without being paid for, because people recognize when you're in an economic downturn and you need to extend unemployment insurance, you don't raise taxes, you don't cut spending elsewhere. that would only deepen the economic downturn. >> but very quickly, senator -- but very quickly, senator conrad, on pay-go -- but very quickly, this is where this criticism comes to congress and pay-go. they're for pay-go unless they declare an emergency, making pay-go -- when is there not -- when can you not declare an emergency and get around pay-go rules? >> well, when something is not an emergency. when something is foreseen. for example, if you're looking at the ten-year census, it would not be appropriate to treat that

as an emergency, because everybody knows the census has got to be done every ten years. but when there is a sharp economic downturn, the tradition has been that that is treated as an emergency. and there's a very good reason for it in economics. it would be bad economics to raise taxes, cut spending in the midst of an economic downturn. so i think senator bunning is just wrong on the economics of this. >> okay. senator kent conrad, chairman of the budget committee, it's nice to have you on the show, sir. we hope you'll come back. >> you bet. coming up, president obama gets his chance to reshape the federal reserve. plus in the 2010, the lone star showdown. why today's outcome in texas could signal just out of influence the tea party holds. and how anti-washington is it out there? we break it down with two campaign veterans, davis and frost. but first, pdb, that's washington speak for the president's daily brief. it's the top-secret document that only the president, vice president, and a select group of cabinet official ever sees. it caontains the highest level

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it worked for me. (announcer) talk to your doctor to find out if prescription chantix is right for you. well, the polls are open in texas, where the marquee primary today is that republican race for. governor. >> in texas's largest counties, twice as many voters cast can early ballots this year as in 2006, so turnout may be big. the number one question, can rick perry, the current governor, get 50% of the vote and avoid a runoff. >> joining us now is our political powerhouse team, martin frost, tom davis, both sort of -- also, they were elected members who were also consultants to their parties, because they ran the house committee back in the day. i want to play for you sort of the most recent closing arguments of rick perry and kay bailey hutchison. take a listen.

>> there's something special going on here, and it didn't happen by accident. that there was a fiscal conservative decisions made over the course of the last six to eight years that really put this state in a very unique position. so a few television ads or radio spots or newspaper advertisements are not going to sway many people. >> the only job that governor perry has created in texas are government jobs. the ads are false. everyone of you knows my record. i stand for texas. i stand for fiscal responsibility. i stand for low taxes. and i have produced low taxes. >> all right. there already have been p prebituaryes written for kay bailey hutchison. why did she run for governor? >> she's always wanted to be

governor. >> but did she make a case? >> the question is the kind of campaign she ran. she made a fundamental mistake at the beginning. that was dithering over whether she was going to resign or not, her senate seat. first she was going troe sign in july, then in october, then if december, now maybe after the election. texas likes strong, decisive leaders, who take positions. also, this opened it up for perry to go after her on continuing to be a washington insider. if she had resigned her seat, she could have said, look, i'm back here in texas, i really care about texas, i don't care about what goes on in in washington and she played right into perry's campaign. perry has ran a very smart, tough campaign. the voters in the republican primary are overwhelmingly conservative. he's moved hard right and she's got real problems. >> what's the larger lesson here? it seems to me that all incumbency is not created equal, because obviously he's the sitting governor, and yet, has been able to run this anti-washington campaign. >> well, he was potentially on the ropes a few months ago. but, look, a message will be to resume any day.

and basically he's had a strong message in this campaign. texas has fared pretty well economically compared to the rest of the country. he has a lot of conservative innovations on private/public partnerships and he has moved to the right and he's co-opted that and she's part of washington. >> democrats have been making the case that if perry's the nominee, then bill white, the former mayor of houston, who's raised a ton of money, is a viable candidate to win, even in this year, the governorship. i'm sorry, you look back and you're like, wait a minute. in this kind of anti-democratic environment, a democrat can win texas? why is this true? >> texas is very independent. and texas sometimes goes opposite of the national mood. bill white is a -- was a popular governor of the largest city in the state. he has $5 million cash on hand. he's running a campaign as a fiscal conservative, as a moderate. he's the first credible democratic statewide candidate that we've had in years in texas. one that's had the money to run a competitive race.

he's got a real shot. and the fact that perry has moved so far to the right gives white the opportunity, i believe, in the general election. >> do you buy that? >> it's the wrong year. it's the wrong year for him. perry has done a good job relative to other governors in other states at this time. he's an able man, good lawyer, but bad -- >> what about the impact of the third party in the republican primary. obviously, we're looking at the potential of a runoff, on the one hand, seems like the tea party movement can be very exciting for republicans. on the other hand, it may create some problems that we're seeing for candidates -- >> well, we don't know. so far they're firing blanks. this will be aed good test to see what that is. not just here, but ron paul has got tea party challengers on his right at this point. >> does it help democrats? >> sure. >> don't forget, there's a democratic primary going on also. and probably the most important democratic primary is for lieutenant governor. bill white is going to win the

democratic for governor. linda thompson is running against ronny oral with -- >> and you were telling me if linda chavez thompson wins, that brings more national money skin the -- >> it brings labor money into state and gives hispanics a reason to turn out in large numbers in the fall. >> i want to show a list of sitting members of congress and senators who are running for governor right now. we've got sam brownback in kansas. nathan deal just announced he's resigning, actually resigned his seat. neil an abercrombie resigned his seat. if you're a member of congress running for governor, get out of washington and get out now. >> get out of washington. first of all, it is not a very fun place. >> would you advise them to resign their seat? >> in abercrombie's case, it's a long compute. >> in every case, they ought to

resign. they'll have to keep voting on controversial matters. that's what really harmed kay bailey, she couldn't make up her mind whether to resign or not. >> if perry's at 49 and hutchison is at 29 or 30, is there going to be pressure on her ton not to contest the run? >> absolutely. >> thank you so much. coming up, rahm emanuel once again at the center of the headlines, second-guessing white house strategy. what's behind all this press? who is behind all this press? and is it making things a tad awkward at the white house? plus, big changes for the naacp, incoming chairwoman rosalyn brock joins us live to talk about the future of this historic civil rights organization. but first, it's today's trivia question from the alman"the alm american politics". we don't have to stump these guys. which senator once said, "everybody makes mistakes. the only time i've ever been perfect was about two hours and ten minutes on june 21st, 1964"? and what was he referring to? the answer and more next on "the daily rundown."

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and we're at the bottom of the hour. a quick look now at what's driving the day. >> chile's president bachelet says the situation in the hard-hit city of concepcion is under control now. a nighttime curfew has been extended until midday after troops struggled to maintain order on monday. toyota execs will be back on capitol hill today to answer questions about recent safety issues. this as the company says it will repair 1.6 million vehicles because of potentially leaky oil hoses. and we're watching the postmaster general's press conference. it's going on right now. the head of the u.s. postal service is expected to call once again to cut six day a week service down to five days but congress has to approve any changes and so far it has refused to do so. that's a story we'll be watching. >> we'll see if they will cut

jobs in a recession. we've got some required reading for you today in the beltway. don't miss "the washington post's" front-page article that gets at obama's enforcer. in this case, it's rahm emanuel and sort of the intrigue around this idea that the chief of staff may be behind the scenes, somehow, having some conflict on policy decisions regarding the president both on health care and on the khalid shaikh mohammed decision, among other things. no new news in this piece, but, boy, the intrigue is not going over well at the white house. >> no, it isn't. i mean, front page of "the washington post," and it's really of a piece of prior writing in "the washington post," a narrative that rahm emanuel is -- has been standing up to other forces in the white house, and if only they had listened to rahm. as you can imagine, that's probably made for some uncomfortable moments in senior staff meetings, for sure. >> it is. it's the internal strife that this creates. a very un-obama way of doing things. if you remember, during the

campaign, we didn't see this. didn't see it in the obama campaign. that's why it's not going over with some. >> an interesting read, at the least. we move on to the nation's oldest civil rights organization. it's undergoing a shake up. the pioneers are handing over the reins at the naacp. >> these new leaders have no memory of the civil right s era and can't remember the martin luther king assassination. joining us now is roslyn brock. the naacp, who does it represent today? is it just a civil rights organization for african-americans, or do you believe that hispanics and other immigrants are part of the umbrella of the naacp? >> the naacp is not just a civil rights organization, it is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization in this nation, charged with the responsibility to ensure equal opportunity and access for all americans.

and when we speak about people of color, we're really speaking to have the issues of american who feels that they've been locked out of a prosperous society. we are a multi-cultural, multi-racial organization and we are intending and want to, as we enter our first -- the first year of our second scentennial, to cast a broader net. to welcome all americans who are interested in fairness and dignity and equal opportunity for all to come and join us. >> and let's get specific. i mean, what do you view as your real agenda items now? >> we have several sides that we are working on. we're interested in ensuring accessible and affordable health care for all americans, particularly the 47 million people in our nation who are uninsured. we're concerned about resegregation that we're seeing in public education. creating job opportunities for all americans. the increasing rate of african-american young men and women in the criminal justice system. but our core mission is really to ensure and to protect civil

rights protections in our nation. >> i guess i want to go back to that, when you say the core mission is civil rights protections, you know, does this mean that the board of directors at the naacp, that we're going to see more hispanics, does gay rights fall under this? what is the -- i guess, what is the line here of the issues that the naacp is going to be taking up? >> the naacp, again, is a multi-racial, multi-ethnic organization. our membership is open to all american who is share our values and who share in wanting to have a nation to pursue the american dream. we're concerned about americans who when they don't feel well, they can't go to work, and when they need a doctor, they can't find one, and when they have to grapple with the issue of trying to pay their mortgage, their student loans or their rent or payday lender. so these aren't black issues or white issues or hispanic issues or native american issues. these are core american issues

that we're concerned about. no one -- >> it's interesting -- >> no one in our nation should have to decide whether or not they have to be prosperous or live in debt. >> it's interesting to hear you say that, because it reminds me of a sentiment we hear a lot at the white house. whenever, for example, press secretary robert gibbs is asked about the unemployment rate and the fact that it so affects the african-american community disproportionately, his standard response is, look, the president is working on unemployment, and that will benefit everybody, but he's not necessarily doing something that targets the african-american community in particular. do you agree with that approach? >> i think what we need to do when we're thinking about jobs and health care and education, we need to go where the greatest disparities are in our nation. if that leads us to communities of color, then the administration and those who work at the local level need to design programs and strategies to address those most impacted. >> all right, roslyn brock, the youngest ever chairman of the naacp's board of directors,

welcome. it's a face i think a lot of americans are going to be seeing a lot more of. thanks so much for joining us today. >> thanks for having me this morning. >> see you soon. let's do our trivia question. and congressman davis guessed it -- >> but it took him a few minutes, which is rare with him. >> which senator once said, "everybody makes mistakes. the only time i've ever been perfect was for about two hours and ten minutes on june 12st, 1964." kelly o'donnell sort of gave a hint about this in her live shot. >> former philadelphia phillies pitcher and current republican senator from kentucky, jim bunning. he pitched a perfect game for those philadelphia phillies on that day. so he's right, that for two hours and ten minutes, he was perfect. coming up, how does president obama's health care push compare to george w. bush's effort to overhaul social security? >> coming up next, we'll go in the room with dan bartlett. but first, the white house soup of the day. it's mushroom, supposedly. not crow, not some other stuff

that who knows what could be on the unofficial menu there today. >> it's just soup, chuck. >> you're right. it's just mushroom soup and they hope nothing is mushrooming inside -- >> oh, good. >> you're watching "the daily rundown," only on msnbc. ts... on frequently purchased groceries... could have saved $55 in one month by shopping at walmart. save money. live better. walmart. could have saved $55 in one month by shopping at walmart. [ sighs ] whoo-hoo! this hair color is a washout. try nice'n easy with color-blend technology. in 1 step, get a blend of 3 tones. highlights, lowlights, and shine. it makes a fresh, light-filled frame for your pretty face. nice'n easy. your right color. aren't absorbed properly unless taken with food. he recommended citracal. it's different -- it's calcium citrate, so it can be absorbed with or without food. also available in small, easy-to-swallow petites. citracal.  investors are demanding more for their money. good. this time, i'm watching fees like a hawk.

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the lexus rx. never has a vehicle been designed to feel so natural. ♪ well, turning back to this year-long white house battle for health care, some say it reminds them of president bush's attempt to reform social security. here's republican senator lamar alexander about that. >> i was thinking this morning of president george w. bush when he tried so hard to have private accounts for social security. he thought he was right. he pushed and he pushed and he pushed. if he'd stopped about halfway through and shifted, he could have probably gotten the bipartisan agreement on social security. i think president obama could learn from that. >> well, dan bartlett was counselor to president george w. bush and communications director. he's currently an analyst for

cbs and is good enough to join us this morning. dan, thanks for being with us. >> good morning. thanks for having me. >> so what parallels do you see between the president's health care fight now and your former boss's fight over social security back then? are some of the same mistakes being made, the same obstacles being run into? >> well, it is interesting. at the beginning of this process, there were a lot of comparisons to what this administration was going to do differently from bill clinton's first attempt at health care reform. and i didn't hear a lot of analysis of what was going on with the social security reform efforts or the immigration reform efforts that we tried during our presidency, just a few short years ago. and really, the difference here, at least the similarities of the two and why i think both came up short is that the legislative process and strategy trumped the communications process and strategy with the american people. what i mean by that is that by starting in the house of representatives, which means in the democratic house, it starts way to the left and our situation, it started far more to the right. that framed the debate.

and it put the white house -- it put our white house in a difficult position and it's put this white house in a difficult position, because you couldn't defend the elements of the bill, you were trying to defend the process of moving it forward. so it was being framed in the most -- i hate to use the word "radical" -- but at least in the far left, or in our case, far more conservative light, and that made it more difficult to bring on moderate votes as the process moved to the senate. as that happened, the polling numbers go the wrong way and then you get the paralysis we're now seeing. so i think the very process they followed from a legislative perspective really contributed to their political difficulties that they're facing today. >> tell me this, dan, when -- take us to the moment that the president said, pull the plug. and where was he just like, forget it, we can't get this done, we have to move on. >> right. and i think you're getting to a similar place in which you start looking at the midterm elections. the leadership for both sides keeps coming to you and saying,

we can't do this. and look, we are in the same position that barack obama finds himself today. you are willing to negotiate -- we were willing to negotiate on personal savings accounts and where and how you crafted those to make sure we could bring on moderate votes, either from democrats or republicans. but you don't want to play that card until the very end of the process, if you play it too early, you lose any leverage as the president, and they're trying to find the timing of that. as you starting to play his cards now. i think what people are fearing is it's too little too late and if that's the case leadership will be coming to him shortly and saying we've got to pull the plug. right now they're making the political calculation that action, however controversial it may be, is better than inaction. we will soon find out whether that's the right calculus. >> well, dan, we know you're in texas but we bet you heard about "the washington post" above the fold story on rahm emanuel today. >> above the fold news analysis. wasn't even really a report. >> those are the kind of stories that make me glad that i'm in austin, texas, these days.

>> what would president bush have -- what would his reaction have been to a story like that about the chief of staff, the inner fights at the white house? this has to be bad news for the white house. >> you had larger in life figures like karl rove that would get written about like this. take us into president bush's head on this. >> well, you're right, and you do have to go back a few days to the previous "washington post" story which really was the one that probably rattled the white house where it was looking like if they'd only listened to rahm -- if the president had only listened to him, and that really weighed, i'm sure, for several awkward conversations and it is one of those things when you have the morning staff meeting and these bombshells hits the papers and everybody acts like it didn't happen. you go through the regular process and everybody rushes to their offices and starts emailing each other, calling each other, who do you think said that? who did that? and it is one of those things you can pick up pretty quickly or detect interest the way it's

quoted or the perspective who actually -- you can do the forensics on the quarters of the white house or the administration who are talking. and then what you'll have is the chief of staff this morning, this is not good for the president and everybody will say we all are on the same team and if it gets even worse the president may walk in and say i support all of you all and i support rahm, but it is not a fun time to be in one that you get in the circling firing squad and i really think these things do get overblown. i'm sure that the tension is not as bad as it's somehow being described outside but if you let these things continue, it takes on a life of its own. our challenges were more in the fights between defense, colin powell, and rumsfeld and cheney and kind of all those national security fights and while there was tension, it's never as bad as it's being described in the papers but if you let this thing get out of control it does take on a life of its own. >> that it does. dan bartlett, it's so great to have you with us. we hope to have you back some

day soon. >> thanks for that candid in the room take. it was fun. thanks, dan. coming up, what do a moon walker, a "baywatch" bombshell and the mother of eight have in common? >> there's a trivia question. plus i just couldn't go on without honoring one of the founding fathers of the '80s hair band movement. on this day in 1962 jon bon jovi was born. for all the moments that make every day special. fancy feast appetizers. [dinner bell chimes] high quality ingredients like wild alaskan salmon in a delicate broth, without by-products or fillers. fancy feast appetizers. celebrate the moment. would you like that to hurt now or later? uh-- what? (announcer) pepcid® complete doesn't make you choose. it neutralizes acid in seconds and controls heartburn all day or all night. pepcid® complete , works now and works later.

okay. before we go we have to give you a who will be on "dancing with with the stars" this season. it's going to be reality tv mom kate gosselin, pam anderson, 80-year-old former astronaut buzz aldrin and olympian figure skater evan lysacek which does not seem fair. figure skating is about grace and movement. >> ochocinco, who is a gig

twitterer, wide receiver for the cincinnati bengals, is also on the cast. >> oh. >> and he will be twittering updates all the time. it will be more interesting to follow this on twitter than actually watching. >> you can follow us on twitter. coming up next david shuster. everything about you is unique. including your skin. discover aveeno positively ageless. with shiitake complex, it helps speed... your skin's unique renewal process. 94% of women showed an improvement... in lines or wrinkles. for younger looking skin: aveeno positively ageless.

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good morning, everybody. i'm david shuster reporting to you live today from new york city. this hour president obama's resuming his nationwide main street tour. he has jobs and georgia on his mind as state-run employment is in the double digits. washington correspondent john harwood joins us live. john, polls show most americans still aren't sure if the obama stimulus plan has created jobs. is that the main factor driving the president's trip to savannah today? is. >> reporter: absolutely. what they're trying to do is make the argument that his stimulus package and